Reading Comprehension Worksheet

Student A

See Also: Reading Comprehension Activity,   Fill-in-the-Gaps Worksheet

The Australian Aborigines

The Aborigines are the indigenous people of 1) Australia. They have a long history, dating back over 2) 40,000 years ago. During this time, which Aborigines refer to as 3) the Dream Time, the Australian continent was created by ancestral beings who came from under the earth. The Aborigines believed that these beings had supernatural powers. Some of these beings took on 4) human forms, while others resembled plants and animals.

Aborigines believe that their sacred rituals, rock paintings, body painting and engravings were all taught by these 5) supernatural beings and passed down through the generations. The beings taught their descendants how to live on earth, how to hunt and gather food and how to live with each other.

Eventually these beings went back to live underneath the earth, and the places where they went are now marked by 6) special landmarks, trees and rocks. Today these places are considered very sacred and special to the Aboriginal people.

Because of the special relationship that the Aboriginal people have with these beings, they feel 7) that they have a spiritual connection with the land. They feel at one with the natural environment and with its animals. Today, many Aborigines believe that it is their duty to care for the land. They feel 8) sad and can get 9) very sick whenever something bad happens to the land.